Passionate about IP! Since June 2003 the IPKat weblog has covered copyright, patent, trade mark, info-tech and privacy/confidentiality issues from a mainly UK and European perspective. The team is David Brophy, Birgit Clark, Merpel, Jeremy Phillips, Eleonora Rosati, Darren Smyth, Annsley Merelle Ward and Neil J. Wilkof. You're welcome to read, post comments and participate in our community. You can email the Kats here

For the half-year to 30 June 2015, the IPKat's regular team is supplemented by contributions from guest bloggers Suleman Ali, Tom Ohta and Valentina Torelli.

Regular round-ups of the previous week's blogposts are kindly compiled by Alberto Bellan.

Monday, 19 June 2006

BusinessWire reports that the Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal by Cubatabaco against the Second Circuit’s decision that General Cigars is entitled to own the COHIBA trade mark in the United States. The suit has been rumbling on since 1997.

The IPKat is going to refrain from making any comments about there being no smoke without fire.

Patent open hearing

If you find yourself in Brussels on 12 July, you’re in for a treat. The EU is holding a public hearing on the patent system, as step 2 of its public consultation on the future of European patent policy. Or at least, you would be in for a treat – despite the fact that the press release bears today’s date, registration closed on 5 June.